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misc What defines a bad pepper

Plantguy76

Plantguy76

I recently ordered some pepper seeds form my source site
It sounded like it hit everything I been looking for
I then find out after the fact by the owner while talking to them via mesg
That in there opinion it really wasn't a good pepper & they will discontinue in a few months.
This got me thinking what exactly qualifies as a bad pepper.
I love Zapotec jalapenos but they really don't grow well or produce much for my area that doesn't mean there not a good pepper just not right for me .
I also once grew out a natural cross that to about f4 or so it was basically stable for the most part but I quit as at that time I thought there was better peppers out there
I have no doubt some of you would of love them & my taste wasn't properly developed at that time.
So with all the factors with soil & climate etc it's just got me thinking as I plan this year grow
 
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For a seed business, the likely consideration for a bad pepper is one that doesn't produce many seeds (hence they need more plants for an equivalent number of seeds from other varieties) and one that doesn't sell well.
 
Personally, growing a pepper with fewer seeds is preferable as you're growing them to eat and the seeds are less desirable for consumption.
 
As for seeds that don't sell well, this could be hype driven. It astonishes me that people are chasing unstable crosses of super hots that are reportedly 1,800,500 Scoville and the 1,800,000 Scoville stable variety is deemed to be less desirable.
 
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It's weird.  If I was to re-phrase the OP's question as:  "What defined a bad pepper for you two years ago, and still stands as a bad pepper today?" ... I'm at a complete loss.
 
All the one's I hated two years ago have drifted from my mind.  I either made mistakes growing it, or it just wasn't seared into my mind how bad it was.
 
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In the case of the Bali pepper I was told it didn't sell well & taste was average.
I can see dropping something if sells aren't good but as far as taste that's subjective to ones own taste.
This pepper as a cayenne look I figure it would sell well her locally
So region has something to do with things as well
Just some packs of seed with pic & description in a local store would work well here & maybe some plants but as a online sell probably not.
It was years before I bought some Amazon plants form cross country nursery online for these same reason's
In the end I decided to take a chance as what I wanted wasn't available in 2020
If it was I still know next to nothing About Amazon & would of missed a good pepper in my humble opinion although my buddy Rob would say otherwise as it was murder on him in our pepper challenge
 
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Plantguy76 said:
I personally hate burning bush orange have.
I noticed that they are using it's other name in garden catalogs this season
Click to expand...
The heat profile where it's prickly and tingly is one I fucking HATE. Where it feels like you have tiny needles poking around your throat.
 
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Plantguy76 said:
I personally hate burning bush orange have.
I noticed that they are using it's other name in garden catalogs this season
Click to expand...
The burn profile where it feels prickly like you drank boiling water with tiny cactus needles. I hate that burn profile at any heat level. I'll eat a Chocolate Bhutlah happily before eating something at jalapeno heat that gives that heat profile.
 
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" Bad chili/ Pepper" to a seller is one that's not productive to the seller !
Though could be a couple reasons be it - not a big seller, majority of their people not buying them, not worth their time & price to sell them or ?
Bad tasting pods are not a sales killer, if they're ornamental then yes the pods taste like crap & a normal chili head would know this ! but for growing they're beautiful !
 
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In my opinion, a bad pepper is defined by 3 factors that were discussed before:
- Bad taste
- Bad producer
- Low resistance to diseases and pests
 
Seen in another way, for me a good pepper must have a good taste (perhaps most importantly), be a good producer and have good resistance to pests and diseases.
 
In the case of low resistance to diseases and pests, or low productivity, I always value that the flavor is worth, for example 'Chilhuacle black Chile' its flavor is worth the headache of growing it.
 
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I am no expert but I ate a ton of pods last season so flavor for me is huge. The plant has to be productive as well but a pepper that taste like shit doesn't deserve grow space imo.

For me, I can handle a little bit of bitterness in a pepper and also some earthiness but the floral is a 100% no go. I can do some bitter if it has some other undertones to compliment it.

This is also debatable because I judge pods when they are fresh and the flavor changes when they are cooked, etc. For example: I could not stand my ghost (raw pod) I grew last year but it made some really good sauce, especially smoked. Even knowing this, I still prefer pods that taste good right off the plant.
 
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